Abstract
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths. This disease is estimated to be diagnosed in over one million people worldwide and to cause more than 400,000 deaths each year. This is a significant health problem in terms of both morbidity and mortality. Chemotherapy forms part of a successful treatment regime in many cases; however, as few as half of the patients treated may benefit from this, as a result of intrinsic or acquired multiple drug resistance (MDR). A range of mechanisms of MDR has been identified using in vitro cell culture models; many, if not all, of which may contribute to breast cancer resistance in the clinical setting. This phenomenon is complicated by the heterogenous nature of breast cancer and the likely multi-factorial nature of clinical resistance. It has been very well established that a “one treatment fits all” approach is not relevant and significant advances have been made through identifying and appropriately treating sub-groups of patients; particularly with newer rationally-targeted therapies, such as the HER2-targeted monoclonal antibody, Trastuzumab, and the dual HER2 and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Lapatinab. Furthermore, large defined collaborative studies, using standardised global profiling approaches to study mRNA, microRNAs and proteins, followed by functional genomics studies, by ourselves and others, are underway in order to definitively establish the degree of complexity contributing to drug resistance. The overall vision is to identify the optimum therapeutic regime for individual patients -possibly involving novel targeted therapies, drug resistance modulators, and chemotherapy- to overcome breast cancer.
Keywords: Breast cancer, biomarkers, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, multiple drug resistance, molecular profiling, cancer stem cells, circulating tumour cells, extracellular mRNA, extracellular miRNAs
Current Cancer Drug Targets
Title: Breast Cancer: Understanding Sensitivity and Resistance to Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapies to Aid in Personalised Medicine
Volume: 9 Issue: 3
Author(s): S. Germano and L. O'Driscoll
Affiliation:
Keywords: Breast cancer, biomarkers, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, multiple drug resistance, molecular profiling, cancer stem cells, circulating tumour cells, extracellular mRNA, extracellular miRNAs
Abstract: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths. This disease is estimated to be diagnosed in over one million people worldwide and to cause more than 400,000 deaths each year. This is a significant health problem in terms of both morbidity and mortality. Chemotherapy forms part of a successful treatment regime in many cases; however, as few as half of the patients treated may benefit from this, as a result of intrinsic or acquired multiple drug resistance (MDR). A range of mechanisms of MDR has been identified using in vitro cell culture models; many, if not all, of which may contribute to breast cancer resistance in the clinical setting. This phenomenon is complicated by the heterogenous nature of breast cancer and the likely multi-factorial nature of clinical resistance. It has been very well established that a “one treatment fits all” approach is not relevant and significant advances have been made through identifying and appropriately treating sub-groups of patients; particularly with newer rationally-targeted therapies, such as the HER2-targeted monoclonal antibody, Trastuzumab, and the dual HER2 and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Lapatinab. Furthermore, large defined collaborative studies, using standardised global profiling approaches to study mRNA, microRNAs and proteins, followed by functional genomics studies, by ourselves and others, are underway in order to definitively establish the degree of complexity contributing to drug resistance. The overall vision is to identify the optimum therapeutic regime for individual patients -possibly involving novel targeted therapies, drug resistance modulators, and chemotherapy- to overcome breast cancer.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Germano S. and O'Driscoll L., Breast Cancer: Understanding Sensitivity and Resistance to Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapies to Aid in Personalised Medicine, Current Cancer Drug Targets 2009; 9 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156800909788166529
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156800909788166529 |
Print ISSN 1568-0096 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5576 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances in Cancer Biomarkers and Potential Drug Targets: From Diagnosis to Therapy
Cancer biomarkers play a crucial role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer. They provide valuable information for cancer detection, risk assessment, treatment selection, and monitoring response to therapy. With advancements in molecular biology and high-throughput technologies, there has been an increasing interest in identifying and characterizing cancer biomarkers ...read more
Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Target Drug Resistant Tumors
With the development of disciplines such as chemical biology and molecular biology, the genes or proteins closely related to tumor occurrence and development have gradually become clear. Targeted therapies targeting these genes or proteins provide more effective methods for tumor treatment. Tumor targeted drugs generally only act on specific targets ...read more
ROLE OF IMMUNE AND GENOTOXIC RESPONSE BIOMARKERS IN TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Biological biomarkers have been used in medical research as an indicator of a normal or abnormal process inside the body, or of a disease. Nowadays, various researchers are in process to explore and investigate the biological markers for the early assessment of cancer. DNA Damage response (DDR) pathways and immune ...read more
Targeting the battlefield between host and tumor: basic research and clinical practice on reshaping tumor immune microenvironment
Immune system protects host against malignant tumors through effector cells and molecules. Cancer development and its response to therapy are regulated by inflammation, which either promotes or suppresses cancer progression. Chronic inflammation facilitates cancer progression and treatment resistance, whereas induction of acute inflammatory reactions often lead to anti-cancer immune responses. ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Synthesis and Cytotoxicity of 4-(2-Adamantyl)phenylalkylamines
Letters in Organic Chemistry Chemical Variability and Antioxidant Activities of the Essential Oils of the Aerial Parts of Ammoides verticillata and the Roots of Carthamus caeruleus and their Synergistic Effect in Combination
Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening Recent Advances of Metallocenes for Medicinal Chemistry
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Tubulins as Therapeutic Targets in Cancer: from Bench to Bedside
Current Pharmaceutical Design Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor: Adaptive Changes in the Neuroglialvascular Unit
Current Neurovascular Research Currently Approved Poly (Adenosine Diphosphate-Ribose) Inhibitors in Ovarian Cancer: Current Status and Future Directions
Clinical Cancer Drugs Exploring the Binding Affinity of Novel Syringic Acid Analogues and Critical Determinants of Selectivity as Potent Proteasome Inhibitors
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Naturally Occurring NF-κB Inhibitors
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry The Potential Therapeutic Value of Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
Current Pharmaceutical Design Magnetic Resonance-Based Metabolomics for Understanding Neurological Disorders: Current Status and Statistical Considerations
Current Metabolomics Exploring PLAC1 Structure and Underlying Mechanisms to Design a Derivative Vaccine Against Breast Cancer Progression; <i>In-Silico</i> Study
Current Proteomics Role of Progesterone in Human Astrocytomas Growth
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Potential Adverse Effects Associated with Inhibition of p38α/β MAP Kinases
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Lanthanides as Anticancer Agents
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents Practical Aspects in the Use of Biomarkers for the Development of Cancer Vaccines
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Targeting Chemokine (C-X-C motif) Receptor 3 in Thyroid Autoimmunity
Recent Patents on Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Drug Discovery Patent Selections:
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery Potential of Plant Mucilages in Pharmaceuticals and Therapy
Current Drug Delivery Advent and Maturation of Regenerative Medicine
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy Targeting Tumors with Small Molecule Peptides
Current Cancer Drug Targets